Songs
of home.
When
Calvin Gilmore visits Nashville these days, it is with a feeling
of sweet satisfaction.
Calvin was there before, in 1967, as an aspiring young singer/songwriter. "I
was pretty naive," he says.
Nowadays, Calvin's
visits to Nashville are more productive. The Ozarks Mountain farm boy
who grew up singing in
church is now recording a gospel album and oversees the largest
live country music enterprise on the East
Coast.
In 1986, Calvin
Gilmore brought new a sound to the beach, The Carolina Opry. It
started in a modest 1,000-seat theater in Surfside Beach. That
sound grew and grew, until shows were sold out night after night.
So he started a second show in North Myrtle Beach, The Dixie Jubilee.
It too sold out night after night until 1993, when he built a 2,200-seat,
state-of-the-art showplace and brought together the best of both
shows to create the ultimate show of shows for Myrtle Beach - The Carolina
Opry. The only show to win the coveted Governor's Cup, the state's
highest tourism award. The only show to be voted the
state's Most Outstanding Attraction by the South Carolina Department
of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. And the only show to win accolades
from USA Today, who calls
it a "Big Hit." The New York
Post labeled it "A Hot Ticket." The Hollywood Reporter headlines
Myrtle Beach as "Calvin Gilmore's Country Mecca." Variety Magazine says,"Myrtle
Beach has Calvin Gilmore to thank." NBC Nightly News says, "Calvin
Gilmore is the man
who is turning Myrtle Beach into a country music capital." CNN says, "Calvin Gilmore is given much of the
credit for getting Myrtle Beach in tune with the entertainment
world." The Charlotte Observer writes that The Carolina
Opry "sets the
standard." And in Sun News Readers' Polls,
The Carolina Opry is voted "The Best of the Beach" year after year. And
we hope you will call it the highlight of your visit to the beach.
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Through the company's
sixteen years, Calvin has produced and directed many different
production shows in several different theaters. The company has
expanded into the fields of recording, television production, print
media, and artist management.
What does the
boy from Missouri think of it all? "Of course, I'm happy," he says. "But
the best part of all is that I get to be with my family and still
sing my songs. That's what I always wanted."
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